Member Reviews
This didn’t hit as hard for as Buy Yourself The F*cking. Lilies did, but I still found some useful advice in it and will definitely be putting aside to read again in another season of life.
Thanks to the publisher and NetGalley for my copy to review.
Once upon a time, there was a girl born in the late '80s. She loved dinosaurs, Beanie Babies, and listening to the Spice Girls. She had a decent childhood, but her adolescent years were filled with feeling like a burden, especially to her dad. She grew up to be a somewhat insecure person who would cry at the drop of a hat, jump from guy to guy, and still didn't feel good enough.
She had many meltdowns while driving in the Arizona sun. She listened to Taylor Swift's White Horse on repeat for months after a hard breakup. Taylor was and still is always there for her. She even went alone with a coveted floor seat on the 2nd night of Tay Tay's epic Era's Tour.
She struggled with depression and even did the dance with suicidal thoughts on more than one occasion. She began to heal by reading self-help books, going to therapy on and off for 2 decades and taking medications, Wellbutrin being her savior. She struggled to find her purpose after losing her job and had invasive surgeries in the hopes of conceiving one day.
She would eventually make amends with her dad but still feel left out as others around her accomplished things or grew their families. The changing point in the relationship with her dad was after a seizure in Flagstaff revealed he had a brain tumor.
Eventually, she went on to write a book. Ok, scrap that...she didn't actually write a book although you would've thought she did by these events. However, that she is me...and Tara Schuster pretty much had her process a difficult past and have less worry for the future. Once again, Tara had me thinking I was reading MY life story. Here's waiting for her third book so I can see what this creeper next covers in the story of my life.
Tara Schuster has done it again. Tara has a way of writing that makes you feel like she is your best friend, giving you the kindest, warmest advice that comes from a place of understanding and empathy. She's been there, so she knows what you're going through. And she wants to help you get through it. Tara will make you laugh, cry, and say "YES! EXACTLY!" multiple times throughout the book. But more than anything, she'll make you feel like growth is possible, like GLOWING is possible, even in the darkest of times. Even when you feel like it'll be dark forever. She makes you believe that you can make your own light, not only for yourself, but for those around you.
The book was a bit long for my liking and I felt there were too many personal anecdotes. It read more like a memoir vs self-help/improvement. The advice woven throughout the pages felt very generic and self explanatory.
Glow in the F*cking Dark is a guide to healing your deepest wounds. In this book you learn to recognize trauma and the reactions you have to it, understand your anxiety better, learn to repair your relationship with your body, and find purposed in something bigger than yourself in life. There are practical baby steps outlined throughout the book that you can take each day on your way to healing. Thank you to NetGalley and the Publisher for an ARC.
This book by Tara Schuster is a self-help/memoir all about how to make it through the difficult times in our lives. The author's conversational style is fun at times, but a little cringey at other times. I did find some of her advice to be helpful though. "When you can't figure out what you want, simply ask, 'What is the best choice I can make for myself right now?' What's the first thing that comes to mind? Even if it ends up being a mistake, you're getting it so right because you're building your ability to hear yourself clearly." Thanks to NetGalley for the free digital review copy. All opinions are my own.
Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for this ARC digital copy. I was not compensated for this review and all opinions are my own.
Loved the premise of the book, but just couldn’t get into it. I enjoy swearing, so that’s not it. Unsure why I couldn’t connect.
3 out of 5 stars and my respect to the author.
I loved Tara's first book so I knew this would be a great follow-up. It has so much practical advice and inspirational stories. I love the way she provides her own experiences and mistakes as a way to connect with the reader. She is a beautiful writer and I really connected with this book.
Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for this ARC in exchange for an honest review.
I am a huge supporter of therapy and doing the inner work. This book came along when I needed it most. I will definitely be going back to it time and again. Thanks for the ARC!
It’s hard to tackle challenging topics but Tara does it so well in this book with humor and authenticity. The book feels like she’s having a conversation with you — real and relatable. I read her first book Buy Yourself the Effing Lillies and I knew I had to get my hands on this second book.
I was able to extract so much stuff that only adds to my mental box of tools. I felt renewed and full of hope after reading. I will probably resume journaling and work on things that are strongly tied to my past traumas. I feel inspired to revisit those thoughts and feelings all because of this book. I might even go back and re read the first one. Self help books are great this way, you can always go back, refresh your memory and get inspired again.
If you need a glimmer of hope, inspiration from someone who’s authentic and relatable, be sure to grab this gem.
.
I recently finished Glow in the F*cking Dark and I have to say, it's a must-read for anyone looking to heal their past and create a brighter future.
Tara Schuster's honest and practical guide to overcoming trauma and finding purpose is both revealing and powerful. Her personal story of recovering from a "mess-wreck disaster" childhood is relatable and inspiring, and the practical steps she outlines for healing and finding purpose are achievable and effective.
This book is full of wisdom and insights that will help you recognize and respond to trauma reactions, find solace and purpose in something bigger than yourself, and reclaim your essential, free, and loving self.
I highly recommend this book to anyone who is tired, hurting, and feeling like their essential brightness has dimmed. It's time to glow, even when sh*t gets grim! Five stars!
Tara crushed it with this book. Absolutely incredible. This book is going to change people's lives and I'm so thankful I got to read it when I did. It couldn't have come at a better time for me.
4.5 stars. Thank you to Net Galley and the publisher for the ARC. This feels more geared to gen z and millennials to navigate how to have one's best life all while dealing with mental health issues such as anxiety during the pandemic that the author experienced as well. The message is an overall positive one filled with lots of good information and the author brings an appropriate amount of humor especially when dealing with more serious topics.
Let's face it. We're all messed up. Some of us, more than others. Glow in the F*cking Dark provides good advice to help us become and nurture our future selves. I liked the advice of journaling and visioning/creating my future self so I can become that person. Although some of the advice isn't new to me, I appreciated the nudge to keep moving forward and to glow in the dark.
Excellent second book by Tara Schuster. Her writing is so relatable and it feels like having a good friend talking to you. She gives practical, real world advice and some great journaling prompts.
Tara has written a follow-up for all those who want insight into how the heck you do the work of cleaning out decades worth of emotional baggage. She is relatable and writes with kindness. If you are looking for a friend to walk beside you in your own journey of self-growth, let Tara be that person for you!
I have some mixed feelings about this one. While Tara Schuster does have some gems of wisdom in this book, you will have to suffer through some majorly cringey anecdotes to get to them.
I can see why people like her books, but they just aren’t for me. It just reads a little too much like “girl boss” and “hey girl” culture to me. It also leans more towards the Rachel Hollis style of self help which is a NO for me.
I will forever read anything that Tara Schuster writes. Truly.
Two years ago I read 'Buy Yourself the F- Lilies,' and I have re-read it multiple times since then, so I was SUPER pumped for her second book.
'Glow in the F- Dark,' is a realistic depiction of how you have to continue to heal and cope, even when you've made progress. It feels like the 'darker depiction' of Lilies. Not that it's dark, but it focuses a lot on depression, anxiety, and other mental health experiences. Schuster continues to bring actionable ways to cope and heal, which is what makes book 1 so fantastic.
I LOVED this book. LOVED. I hope you do too.
Glow in the F*cking Dark is a beautiful follow-up to Tara's first book, Buy Yourself the F*cking Lilies. This second book will have you giggling, working on your inner emotions, and even crying.
First, thank you Tara for selecting me to be a Glow Getter and reading her book before the release.
Secondly, thank you Tara for giving me more tools for my toolbox.
You must read Glow in the F*cking Dark. Utilize the tools, journal, and feel like you are not alone. Schuster has put out her life stories, vulnerabilities, and tools she has used to cope and work through it all. While reading this, you feel like you have a best friend who knows the shit you've gone through and is saying "Hey, I've got you. Now let's do this!" Read this book and get to work on living your best self and best life.
I'm usually not a fan of self help books, but I like how this particular one is constructed. It is a mix of self help and memoir with some comedy threw in between. The author worked producing comedy for a long time, and the way she narrates her life is compelling and funny, It's a nice book both if you're struggling with depression / finding a purpose in life but also if you just want to laugh a little bit on misfortunes of life.